The God Who Will Have A People
So growing up in North Carolina, every year my family would go to this small beach on the coast called Holden Beach — and it’s been a long time since I’ve been there, but it’s still probably one of my favorite places ever. The town area of this beach was actually settled way back in the 1700s, and to this day it’s still not very commercialized. It’s just this quiet little beach in North Carolina. It is a wonderful place, but the thing I remember the most about this beach is the bridge that takes you there.
The Intracoastal Waterway runs between the beach and the mainland, and so to get from one side to the other, they built this bridge, but rather than it be a draw bridge that opens up for boats, they just made the bridge really high. It has a 65-foot clearance, which doesn’t sound all that high, but see, the bridge is not very long, and so it goes like [this] — and you can’t see one side of the bridge from the other, and the effect that has on you when you’re a kid and you’re riding over this thing — it was terrifying!
It’s a bridge that takes you from one side to the other, but it’s not an easy bridge. Which is exactly like Exodus 19. Because in the Book of Exodus, there are, broadly speaking, two parts. There is the exodus part — the rescue from Egypt part — and then there is the law part. Those are the two sides: rescue and law. And Exodus 19 is the bridge that connects these two sides — and it’s kind of scary. It’s not easy.
Exodus 19 is one of those crucial passages in the Bible because how we understand this passage really sets the trajectory in how we read the rest of the Old Testament. This chapter sets up how we understand the law and the calling of Israel altogether. So this is a high bridge, but this is where we are with today’s sermon.
And I want to make a little disclaimer from the start: this entire sermon could easily be just a straight Bible study, because there are so many key themes here and just lots of wonder. And if you’re new to the Bible, I just want to say: this is an amazing book. The more we read it and try to understand it, the more wonder we find — and we could just stay there in the wonder, but my hope today is to make this a practical wonder. I think this chapter in all its depth teaches us three truths about God. Overall, we learn here how God relates to humanity, which is extremely relevant. So here are three things I want us to see this:
God, by his grace, draws us into fellowship with himself.
God intends to have for himself a people who do what Adam failed to do.
God will indeed have for himself that people.
Let’s pray, and get started:
Father, thank you for your Word, and in this moment, we ask that your Spirit would open our hearts to receive from you. Show us the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. In his name, amen.
1. God, by his grace, draws us into fellowship with himself.
Let’s pick up in verse 1. Notice that Moses is still dating things in terms of the exodus event. The people now are at Sinai, and Moses says it was on the third new moon after they left Egypt. (That’s a fact that seems arbitrary, but we’re going to come back to it later.)
Verse 2 says that the people were encamped before Mount Sinai, and Moses goes up the mountain where Yahweh speaks to him. Yahweh tells Moses something he is supposed to tell the people of Israel, and we see this in verses 4–6. Look what Moses says first in verse 4:
"Yahweh called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself." (Exodus 19:4-6)
Now this is really important because this is the first thing Yahweh says to Israel. Whatever else he’s going to say, this is the first thing, and this first thing he says is meant to remind Israel about the exodus. He tells them, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians.”
And of course they’ve seen it. We’ve seen Israel see it — that’s what Chapters 4–17 are all about. God has rescued Israel. Through amazing signs and wonders, God brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt — that’s how God says it in Exodus 20, verse 2.
But here in 19, verse 4, notice the language: Yahweh says: Hey, remember what I did to Egypt, “and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.”
He doesn’t mention deliverance this time. He’s describing that event, but this time he gives this eagle metaphor and then he names the destination.
Carried on the Wings of an Eagle
Look at the metaphor: First, he says, “I bore you on eagles’ wings.” Or “I carried you on eagle’s wings” (see NIV). This is an image that we see a few more times in the Bible (see Deuteronomy 32:10; Isaiah 40:31), and we can sort of imagine how it goes. Imagine an eagle flying, and imagine that eagle is holding you (in a good way) — the eagle is bringing you away from trouble. That is Yahweh’s relationship to Israel. That is what he was doing in the exodus. And that is the first thing Yahweh tells Israel here Exodus 19 — which, I think, is supposed to get our attention. This is a metaphor that’s meant to stop you. It’s meant to be something hard to assume. Yahweh is like an eagle who carries you!
And if you think on that for a minute, the message here is grace. Why does Yahweh carry Israel on the wings of an eagle? Because he loves Israel. Why? Because he does. Moses actually spends a lot of time on this topic in Deuteronomy 7–9 — it all comes back to grace.
It’s the same reason God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans. Same reason God told Adam there was still hope back in Genesis 3. This is the grace of God. It’s just absolute undeserved love. It’s not because anybody earned it. It’s not because anybody was good enough. God did what he did to Egypt for Israel because of his grace, and that’s the thing God says to Israel in Exodus 19: Remember Egypt, and how I’m your eagle. Remember this is all grace.
Brought by God to God
And then second he says, “I brought you to myself.” That’s the destination. Rather than say here, “I brought you out of the land of Egypt” he says, “I brought you to myself.”
And this is important because it connects the dots to something we saw earlier in this story, the last time we were at Mount Sinai.
We’ve been to Sinai before. It was way back in Chapter 3. Sinai is the place where God spoke with Moses through the burning bush. In Chapter 3 it was called Mount Horeb, but it’s the same place. Same place, same mountain. And Yahweh told Moses back then in Chapter 3: “when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain” (Ex. 3:12). And now, in Exodus 19, Moses and the people are there. They are out of Egypt, and they’re at that mountain, and the purpose is worship. Yahweh wants Israel to be his people, a people who live in his presence, in fellowship with him.
And this clarifies for us something important about God’s salvation. It’s that God never only rescues us from something, but he always rescues us to something, and that something is himself. God’s salvation is a salvation by grace — by him and to him. And if you don’t want that, then you don’t want his salvation.
And this is one of those critical questions that we have to ask ourselves at the practical level. Here it is:
Do we — when it comes to how we live — do we only want God to forgive us, OR do we want the life with God that forgiveness gives?
Do you only want Jesus to let you off the hook of your sin or do you want Jesus?
Because the good news of God’s gospel is that he brings us to himself (see 1 Peter 3:18). God, by his grace, draws us into fellowship. That’s the first thing we learn.
#2. God intends to have for himself a people who do what Adam failed to do.
We see this in verses 5 and 6, and this is really the heart of the passage. Which means, we have to read the rest of this passage in the light of what God says here. And he says two things: there is the Calling and the Condition. There is who God calls Israel to be, and then there’s the condition by which Israel becomes that. Listen to verses 5 and 6 again: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
The Calling
First, look at the calling. Israel shall be Yahweh’s “treasured possession among all peoples.” That’s the main calling here is these two verses. Verse 6 just explains more of what that means.
And when we read the those words “treasured possession” we kind of have idea of what that is. This is something very valuable. If Israel is Yahweh’s treasured possession it must mean that Yahweh really loves them — even more than other peoples, which is what he says. The whole earth is the Lord’s; he made everything; and out of everything he’s made, he especially prizes Israel. We understand that in this phrase “treasured possession.” But there’s also another layer here I want us to see.
The Son People
The word for “treasured possession” is not used a ton in the Old Testament, and in most cases it refers to Israel (see Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Psalm 135:4; esp. Mal 3:19). But what’s fascinating is that when you track down how this word was used in other writings from this time period, it carries this idea of sonship. “Treasured possession” was a way to talk about someone’s choice servant or son — which is exactly how the word is used in Malachi 3:17. Listen to this. This is Yahweh’s talking about Israel, Malachi 3:17. God says:
"They shall be mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him." (Malachi 3:17)
In Malachi 3:17 “treasured possession” is parallel to one’s son who serves him. So Israel being Yahweh’s treasured possession carries the idea of Israel being Yahweh’s son — which that’s something we’ve already seen. Back in Exodus 4, remember, Yahweh says, “Israel is my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22) — and then he tells Pharaoh in Exodus 4:23, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” And then later in the Bible, in Hosea 11:1, about the exodus God says, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
So we understand from other places in the Bible that Yahweh thinks of Israel as his son, but this is really important for Exodus 19:5 because here we see that this is actually Israel’s main calling. More than anything else, Israel is called to be like Yahweh’s son, his treasured possession, which is explained in verse 6 as to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
The King-Priest People
And this is super fascinating. Look at the combination of that phrase: “Kingdom of priests.” On one hand you have kingdom as in dominion and rule. And on the other hand you have priesthood as in those who have a special relation to God, those who are consecrated to serve God and man.
Israel is to be a people whose dominion and rule is expressed through their priesthood. They rule by their relation and service to God. Collectively, they are meant to be a king-priest nation.
Now, remember back to God’s calling on Adam in Genesis. God commissioned Adam to have dominion over all creation (Gen 1:26) — which is kingship language — and then when God explained to Adam what that means, he told Adam to “work and keep” the Garden (Gen 2:15)— which are the exact words used to describe the duties of priests in the Old Testament (see Num 3:7–8). All scholars agree that God intended Adam to be a king-priest. So Adam, as God’s first man, who was considered to be like God’s son, as it were, (see Luke 3:38) — God called him to image and represent God as a king-priest.
And now, God’s calling on Israel is the same. Israel is also considered God’s son, and God calls them to serve him as a kingdom of priests. What we need to know in Exodus 19 is that God’s calling on Israel is like God’s calling on Adam. God intends to have for himself a people who do what Adam failed to do.
Now we know Adam failed. He did not live up to the calling. How do you think Israel is going to do?
Well, let’s keep looking. This is where the Condition in verse 5 helps us.
The Condition
In order for Israel to be what God calls them to be they have to meet this condition: they have to obey God’s voice and keep his covenant.
[Okay, time-out. I just want to remind you that we’re driving on this bridge, and it’s a high bridge.]
The question is in verse 5. What covenant is God talking about here? What covenant must Israel keep? The last time this word “covenant” was used was in reference to Abraham (see Exodus 2:24). In fact, up to this point in the Bible, when it comes to God and this word covenant, apart from Noah, it’s only used in reference to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the patriarchs). The next time we see the word “covenant” is in Exodus 24:8 and that’s when Moses reads the “Book of the Covenant”, and in that case covenant is referring to all the laws from Chapter 20 through Chapter 23. So the question is: When God says “covenant” here in Exodus 19, is he talking about his covenant with Abraham or that future covenant of laws in Chapter 24?
I believe he is talking about Abraham — and this matters because the nature of God’s covenant with Abraham was one of faith.
How does Abraham keep the covenant God made with him? By believing God. “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness” — Genesis 15:7. Now how is that faith expressed? By obedience. Abraham obeyed the voice of God in Genesis 22. And those words used about Abraham in Genesis 22:18 — he obeyed the voice of God — those are the exact same words required of Israel here in Exodus 19:5.
The way Israel keeps this covenant is by believing God the way Abraham believed God. The condition for Israel to be what God has called them to be is faith (see 19:9). It is simple faith.
For Israel to be God’s son, to be a kingdom of priests, they just have to trust him. Israel can only fulfill their calling by faith — but faith is the very thing they lack.
[Okay, time-out again. This is the moment on the high bridge when you can’t see the other side. But just hold on.]
Look at verse 11. In verse 11 Yahweh says that on the third day he is going to come down on the mountain. His presence is going to be on the mountain and the people have to be careful. Verse 12 says the people should not “go up into the mountain” or even touch the edge of it. But then in verse 13 God says that when the “trumpet sounds a long blast, [then] they shall come up to the mountain.”
Now notice in verse 12 it’s said that they shall not go up into the mountain, and in verse 13 it’s that they shall come up to the mountain. Verse 12 is “into” and verse 13 is “to” and well, here’s the thing: in the Hebrew that’s the exact same word.
The reason it gets translated differently in English is because we’re not sure how to make sense of this. How does God say not to do something, and then he says to do it?
Well, it’s kind of like when he told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac and then not to sacrifice Isaac (which also happened on a mountain).
See, the point here is whether Israel obeys God’s voice. Israel must not go up the mountain, but when they hear the trumpet then they go up the mountain. That’s what God says. This is about whether they can listen to God. Can Israel obey God’s voice? [Hint: the manna story has already planted an answer for us.]
Look what happens: Verse 16 says that now it’s the morning of the third day — that’s when God said he’s coming — and we’re told the timing here because it matters.
Back in verse 1 we read that when Israel gets to Sinai it’s the third new moon after they left Egypt. Scholars say this would have been the 48th day after the Passover. So the “third day” here in verse 16 makes this the Fiftieth Day after Passover, and the Fiftieth Day after Passover is called Pentecost. So all this is happening on Pentecost, and verse 16 says: “there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast” — now what are the people supposed to do when they hear the trumpet?
They’re supposed to go up the mountain.
But look at verse 16. The trumpet blasts and “all the people in the camp trembled.”
And Moses is trying to help. He gets the people out of the camp, and he brings them to the foot of the mountain, and the mountain is terrifying. It’s a mountain of fire — like the burning bush in Exodus 3 and like the pillar of fire that has been leading the people. Yahweh has led Israel from fire, by fire, to fire. This is the symbol of his presence. And look at verse 19, “And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder” — again, what are the people supposed to do when they hear the trumpet?
They’re supposed to go up the mountain. That’s what God said. But they don’t listen. So Moses speaks and God answers him, and then God calls Moses to the top of the mountain, and people stand back. The people are now prohibited from the mountain, and rather than the people be a kingdom of priests, God establishes a priesthood among the people. And over in Chapter 20, verse 18 we get more commentary on what happened here. Moses says, 20:18:
"Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off." (Exodus 20:18)
So rather than obey God’s voice and go up the mountain, the people were afraid of God and they stood far off from the mountain. And they said, Moses, you go instead. We don’t want to hear God’s voice again.
The people did not go up the mountain themselves because they did not have faith. And because they did not have faith they could not be who God called them to be. They needed Moses to mediate. God intends to have for himself a people to do what Adam failed to do, but Israel is not that people — or at least in Exodus 19 we’re not there yet.
But we’re going to get there.
#3. God indeed will have for himself that people.
[And at this point, on the bridge, we’ve come over the highest part and now we’re rolling.]
Adam fails to be who God called him to be. Israel as a people failed to be who God called them to be — but the purpose is still there: God will have for himself a treasured possession. God will have a kingdom of priests. And do you know how God does this? Christmas. It starts there.
God will have a people for his own possession by first sending a Person of his own possession. And that person is Jesus.
And Jesus, when he came, walked in the journey of Israel — he was spoken of by the prophets of Israel, called out of Egypt like Israel, passing through sea like Israel, tempted in the wilderness like Israel — except that in every step of his journey, with every heartbeat and every breath Jesus believed God. Jesus endured in faith. The Spirit of Yahweh rested upon him. The law was written upon his heart. And Jesus obeyed the voice of God. Jesus was like Israel, but Jesus is the True Israel.
And Jesus is his Father’s real treasure. He is the beloved son who came to this earth like Adam (Matthew 3:17), but he came as a baby in manger, and he grew up. And as he grew he imaged and represented God in the ultimate sense — so much so that to have seen Jesus is to have seen God (John 14:9).
And like Adam, Jesus is also a king, but he’s a king who has a kingdom not of this world — he is a king who bends to wash the feet of his subjects, and he doesn’t stop there — he is a king who dies for his people. Jesus is a king who takes upon himself the sins of his people. He is a substitute for them. Jesus is a king who is also a priest.
As a king he wages war against sin and death and defeats them both, and in his victory, when he takes his seat on his throne, he is seated there as a priest who prays for you. Jesus is the king-priest who reigns in mercy. He is the king-priest who has the power to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him. Jesus is like Adam, but Jesus is the Better Adam.
And as the Better Adam, Jesus created in himself a new humanity who is under a new covenant. And in this new covenant, like with Jesus, God puts his Spirit within his people and writes his law on their hearts (see Ezekiel 36:27; Jeremiah 31:33) — which he did, in Acts Chapter 2, on the Day of Pentecost.
What God intended first for a person (Adam) and then a people (Israel), he has now realized in a Person (Jesus) and a people (called the church). And listen to how the apostle Peter describes the church in 1 Peter 2:9. He says:
"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession." (1 Peter 2:9)
That’s us! The church is the people of Jesus — we are men and women brought into fellowship with God by faith, created new in Jesus. We are forgiven by the cross of Jesus and filled with the Spirit of Jesus to walk in the way of Jesus.
And that is what Exodus 19 is ultimately about.
And I don’t know what you do with that other than to worship him. How can we not adore him!
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?
This whole thing is grace.
And so from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever!
And Lord Jesus, have your glory! You who are more real than anything. You, the true Israel. You, the Better Adam. Jesus, we adore you, and we give you thanks, in your name! Amen.
The Table
And now we come to this Table to give him thanks. If you’re here this morning and you trust in Jesus — if you are united to him by faith, if you adore him — we invite to eat and drink with us.
